First Bites at New Restaurant Sassi

While based in Arizona, I contributed F&B content, such as this story, to Phoenix-focused Bite magazine.

“We would like to see the octopus,” one of my dinner companions says to chef Chris Nicosia. It comes out more as a hopeful request than a demand.

Our entire party of media members has congregated post-meal in Sassi’s expansive kitchen, where the executive chef is leading an impromptu tour and excitedly disclosing all the culinary goings-on. He just finished explaining how important fresh ingredients — particularly sea creatures — are to his menu, then he gestured to the walk-in behind him, smiled and said the slippery octopods are a main attraction whenever his children come in.

But you can’t tell this group — people who have managed to channel curiosity into a career — that something worth seeing awaits behind a closed door without them wanting to see it for themselves.

So now, Nicosia disappears into the walk-in. Moments later he’s holding up an intact octopus and describing how he has them regularly flown in to be simmered, skinned and grilled to perfection for a delectable antipasto.

In fact, our cena (Italian for “dinner”) has come full circle, having also started with a cephalopod, granted a cooked one — appropriate, considering the dish reveals something about Nicosia’s radically different approach to his menu. While so many Italian restaurants concern themselves with presenting their take on tentacled creatures fried up as calamari, here they are wood-grilled and served with olives, roasted lemon and a chile vinaigrette. If you’ve previously found the texture of squid or octopus to be off-putting, Sassi’s version will be nothing like you remember. It’s flavorful and meaty, not bland and excessively chewy.

At the beginning of dinner, Nicosia emphasized he is always happy to oblige guests who request dishes not found on Sassi’s menu (such as, ahem, calamari). But with each course, he proves he knows when and how to elicit surprise, and when to deliver exactly what the diner expects. The insalata Caprese that followed the octopus did right by tradition, showcasing fresh, local heirloom tomatoes, top-quality extra virgin olive oil and an incredibly smooth, melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella di bufala. Meanwhile, the Sicilian eggplant cakes took a savory turn, with pine nuts, tomato sauce and Parmigiano plus the piquant addition of currants.

Although Sassi focuses on the flavors of southern Italy, Nicosia says he likes to borrow techniques and ingredients from other regions, just as chefs in Italy surely do. Tucking into a course of handmade ricotta gnocchi and orecchiette with housemade sausage, rapini and Pecorino, I was certainly transported to a chic villa in the Campanian countryside.

Doing their part to further set the scene are the spectacular views from the base of Pinnacle Peak; the rustic-chic, indoor-outdoor architecture; numerous burbling fountains; Old World-inspired light fixtures; and grand stone courtyards, while the intimate dining room and patio, combined with a warm and attentive staff, create the atmosphere of the home of a dear friend — albeit, one with impeccable taste who’s a seriously good cook.

With every additional course Nicosia raised the bar: grilled loin of pasture-raised veal with a porcini rub and truffle oil, followed by pan-seared halibut atop a Sicilian eggplant caponata with a side of addictive pine nut pesto. These dishes were accompanied by my favorite wine of the evening, the 2008 Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco, featuring earthy flavors of red fruits, flowers and spices. To finish, there was housemade pear gelato and delicate cannolis della casa — ricotta and mascarpone, Grand Marnier, cinnamon, chocolate and pistachios.

With more than 200 Italian wines in its cellars, handmade pastas and pizzas, and a bounty of local and organic vegetables and citrus at hand, there’s a lot to be excited about at Sassi. And with the exuberant Nicosia at the helm, the enthusiasm inarguably starts in the kitchen. Go ahead, just ask him about the octopus.

Sassi, 10455 E. Pinnacle Peak Parkway, Scottsdale